"It seems to me that this whole bridge thing reinforces a narrative that's troublesome about the guy, he's kind of a bully," Graham said Thursday, according to MSNBC.

Graham said that even if Christie wasn't directly involved in the lane closures, the way he governs influenced his staff.

"If anybody in my office had done such a thing, they knew what their fate would be cause I'm not that kind a guy," he said. "I just don't see how people that close to him could have felt comfortable enough to do this if they thought their boss wasn't of this mindset. Isn't that just common sense?"

Graham said that Christie's "slick" governing style, as well as his stance on certain issues, will hurt him in the South if he runs for president in 2016.

"I think he's going to have a hard time in the South, I really do. The edge is part of it. You know, he's a little too slick by half," Graham said. "I think the problem he's going to have in the South is against the view of his actual positions because it's hard for me to understand what he's for and what he's against on the social side."

Later on Thursday Graham clarified to CNN that he called Christie a bully before he saw the governor's press conference, noting that he was "impressed" by how Christie addressed the situation.

Just talked to @GrahamBlog in the hallway. Said criticism of @GovChristie was b/f he saw newser. After watching: "I’m very impressed"